Abstract

Drug abuse is responsible for more than a million visits to the emergency department (ED) in the United States each year. The objective of this study is to examine both the social and health history of patients presenting to the ED for drug abuse, with a focus on depression, alcohol abuse and HIV/AIDS as comorbidities. The study utilized data from the yearly National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Chi square was used to test for differences between individuals with drug abuse related ED visit and individuals who visited the ED for other reasons. Logistic regression was applied to determine the likelihood of a drug abuse related ED visit due to psychiatric and medical comorbidities, controlling for known confounders. Drug abuse accounted for 1,924,099 visits to the ED during the survey year. When compared to individuals who visited the ED for non-drug abuse related reasons, patients who came to the ED due to drug abuse presented in higher proportions with a history of alcohol abuse (20.71% vs. 2.54%, p